Category: Speakers 2024

Shelley White is a visionary leader who has dedicated her life and career to empowering organizations that create better futures for people and communities. In 2017, she became the new CEO of the Responsible Gambling Council (RGC) which is an independent non-profit organization dedicated to the prevention of gambling harms around the world. Shelley leads the organization in their mission to promote responsible gambling and reduce problem gambling. It accomplishes this in four ways: conducting research to develop evidence-based responsible gambling policies, programs and standards; using the research to develop and implement innovative prevention, education and social marketing programs; by Read More

Graduate of the American University in Bulgaria with over 5 years experience in the regulatory compliance domain.

Over 25 years’ experience in casino operations, regulatory and the manufacturing of gambling solutions across all land-based sectors. Furthermore, I was responsible for the design, sale, and deployment of Casino Management Systems across Africa. Earlier in my career I was responsible for the repair and maintenance of various military aircrafts.

Antonio Penchevski has been active in the gambling industry since 1992, starting as a manager of gaming halls in Southern Bulgaria. In 2013, he joined NOVOMATIC Bulgaria (Novo Investment Bulgaria EOOD) as a Sales Manager, and since 2016, he has served as Regional Manager for ADMIRAL Bulgaria (Vilox Group EOOD). Antonio holds a higher education degree and has extensive experience in managing and developing gaming operations.

John Connolly is a 50-year veteran of the casino industry who began his career as a French roulette croupier and earned his British Manager’s Certificate in 1978. Most of his professional life has been dedicated to casino gaming management. His hobby of collecting information on casino cheats, particularly names and faces, started when he moved to Budapest in 1992. In 2003, while working in Switzerland, he decided to transition into consultancy work as a cheat detection expert.

Cristian has served as Chief of Staff at Romania’s National Gambling Office (ONJN) since March 2017, bringing extensive expertise in asset management, corporate restructuring, and strategic oversight across sectors like energy, mining, and banking. With a strong track record in building and leading sales networks, managing state assets, and negotiating complex cases, he has held leadership roles in prominent organizations, including Electrica SA, Transelectrica SA, and Volksbank SA. A seasoned professional with a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Pittsburgh and a History degree from the University of Bucharest, Cristian is proficient in English and Romanian, with additional Read More

Jessica Maier is a co-founder of EGARA (Executive Gaming and Risk Advisory), a gaming consultancy firm specialised in providing C-level advice on regulation, licensing, risk-management, and compliance. Having been a partner in a law firm focussed on gaming law and the Chief Risk Officer/Head of Legal and Compliance and Head of Government Affairs in gaming software companies, Jessica comes with both private practice and in-house experience and has worked on various projects and public policy initiatives in close collaboration with regulators, legislators and industry stakeholders. She has been involved in numerous licensing proceedings (B2B and B2C), has performed regulatory due Read More

Rada Gyonova is a member of the Board of Directors of Bulgarian Sport Totalizator. With multiple master’s degrees in Law, European Law, and Responsible and Sustainable Management, she brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her role. Rada heads the company’s key projects focused on “Responsible Gaming” and “Sustainability,” emphasizing her commitment to ethical practices within the gambling industry. Additionally, she has served as the Head of the Legal and Procurement Department at Bulgarian Sport Totalizator for 10 years, demonstrating her extensive experience in legal matters and strategic management.

Miglena Dimitrova is a MDMI Legal Managing Partner. She is an IP and regulatory lawyer and mediator. Her main areas of practice include IP & IT law, financial services, regulatory matters focusing mainly on financial services and gambling. Miglena Dimitrova has developed extensive experience advising and representing clients in the intellectual property, IT, gambling, and media sectors.

Dr. Krasimir Simonski served as National Cybersecurity Coordinator and Chair of the State eGovernment Agency of Bulgaria until 2022. His area of supervision included the ICT infrastructure of the State Administration and national security-related establishments, such as data centers, communication facilities and the National Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT). Prior to this position, Dr. Simonski was Chair of the Bulgarian Research and Education Network (BREN), the Bulgarian partner in the pan European Research Network, a.k.a GEANT. He has developed and managed successfully large scale IT projects, such as the UNDP Project Telecentres – a project, which received high international recognition Read More